Arsenal Shares The Spoils With Fulham At Craven Cottage

Arsenal managed to salvage a 1-1 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage, marking an impressive but bittersweet continuation of their scoring streak in London derbies.

The Gunners have now recorded an astonishing 18 consecutive games without failing to score in such encounters since May 2022.

However, the draw leaves them trailing leaders Liverpool by four crucial points.

A Tale of Missed Opportunities

The match started with Arsenal demonstrating their set-piece capabilities, the highest-scoring team from corners in the Premier League this season. Just three minutes into the match, Declan Rice whipped in a corner that found William Saliba, who narrowly missed with a glancing header.

It was a promising start, but Arsenal’s early lapse would soon come back to haunt them.

Fulham capitalized on Arsenal’s missed opportunity. In what turned out to be their only meaningful attack of the first half, the Cottagers took the lead in the 11th minute. Raúl Jiménez received a well-placed through ball, and with precision and composure, he fired a stunning shot into the far bottom corner, making it 1-0.

Despite falling behind, Arsenal maintained pressure and controlled possession. Leandro Trossard, a bright spot for the Gunners, sent a delightful pass to Rice, whose half-volley flashed just wide of the target.

Bukayo Saka also tested Fulham’s goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, with a right-footed shot that was expertly palmed away, marking Arsenal’s only shot on target before the halftime whistle.

Gunners Fight Back

The second half saw Arsenal come out with renewed spirit. It took just eight minutes for the Gunners to find an equalizer, once again through the magic of a corner.

Rice delivered the ball into the box, where Kai Havertz’s clever cushioned header set up Saliba for a simple tap-in, leveling the match at 1-1.

With momentum firmly on their side, Arsenal looked poised to take control of the match. Trossard continued to be a menace, cutting in and forcing another save from Leno, while Rice’s next corner caused chaos in the Fulham defense.

Thomas Partey found himself unmarked but scuffed his header wide, an opportunity that Arsenal could not afford to squander if they aimed to win.

Fulham, however, were not content to simply sit back and defend their point. The Cottagers posed a constant threat on the counter-attack, with Andreas Pereira firing a shot towards David Raya’s near post, which the Arsenal goalkeeper managed to block with a quick reflexive save.

Late Drama

As the game progressed, Arsenal continued to push for the winner, and hope surged when Leandro Trossard’s pass found Saka’s head, leading to a goal that was later ruled offside.

In the dying moments, Rice looked for glory from long-range, only for Leno to keep the scores level with another solid save. The full-time whistle eventually blew, marking a hard-fought point for Fulham and a stern reminder of the points Arsenal dropped against a team they were expected to beat.